My Wines

My Cellar

In 1992, culinary entrepreneur Pat Kuleto assembled five parcels from cattle ranchers to create a 761-acre ranch of wild hillside land on the eastern edge of the Napa Valley.
Marrying the eye of a master designer and the heart of a vintner, Pat perceived the vast potential for a world-class vineyard on the mountainous land overlooking Lake Hennessey, Pritchard Hill and the towns of Rutherford... Read more

In 1992, culinary entrepreneur Pat Kuleto assembled five parcels from cattle ranchers to create a 761-acre ranch of wild hillside land on the eastern edge of the Napa Valley.
Marrying the eye of a master designer and the heart of a vintner, Pat perceived the vast potential for a world-class vineyard on the mountainous land overlooking Lake Hennessey, Pritchard Hill and the towns of Rutherford and St. Helena. For Pat, the building of his rustically elegant Tuscan-style home, Villa Cucina, and the planting of the surrounding Kuleto Estate vineyards represented the next step in the evolution of a life committed to gracious living and excellence.
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Wine Tasting NotesThe focus here is on bramble fruits, sweet spice and jam. Our Zinfandel's high alcohol is masked by the freshness of the wine, due to our cool fermentation methods. The three blocks (one clone and two field selections) of Zinfandel at Kuleto Estate are planted between 1,200 and 1,400 feet in a small bowl containing the only deep red soil on the property. The head-trained vines face gently to the east, avoiding the late afternoon sun and warm winds that can desiccate late ripening varieties such as zinfandel. The deep roots also allow the vines to draw on moisture during the most stressful time in the season. All things combine to produce fruit that is intensely varietal but without the monstrous tannins often associated with mountaintop zinfandel.

This is a really beautiful example of how Napa ripens Zin so well, especially in a warm vintage. The wine is exuberant in black currant, chocolate and coffee fruit flavors that are complexed with smooth, firm tannins and a gentle backbone of